Shock absorbing securement device

ABSTRACT

A securement device for maintaining a vehicle on a transporter characterized in that the securement device is formed in two parts which are bonded together by an elastomeric material. One part of the securement device is adapted to be mounted to the underside of the vehicle, while the other part is adapted to be connected to the transporter and the elastomeric material serves to absorb shock loads caused by movement of the vehicle due to inertial forces.

[ Jan. 15, 1974 United States Patent 1191 Kitchen, Jr. et al.

[ SHOCK ABSORBING SECUREMENT 2,138,175 11/1938 Keys DEVICE 3,667,4016/1972 Schwiebert 2,988,018 6/1961 Stough [751 Inventors: Elwyn L.Kitchen, Jl'., Troy; 3 59 533 5 1972 vendiflymm Gregory H. Kirk,Farmington, both 3,661,098 5/1972 Jaekle 0f FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS Primary Examiner-J. Franklin Foss Attorney-J. L. Carpenteret al.

[22] Filed:

[57] ABSTRACT A securement device for maintaining a vehicle on atransporter characterized in that the securement de- [52] US. Cl.248/119 R, 105/366 B, 105/368 R,

248/361 R B60p 3/06, B60p 7/08, B60d 45/00 vice is formed in two partswhich are bonded together by an elastomeric material. One part of thesecure- [51] Int. Cl.... [58] Field of Search 248/9, 10, 22, 24,

248/358 R, 361 R; 105/368 R, 366 D, 366 B ment device is adapted to bemounted to the underside of the vehicle, while the other part is adaptedto be connected to the transporter and the elastomeric [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS material serves to absorb shock loads causedby movement of the vehicle due to inertial forces.

3,603,267 9/1971 Schwiebert...,.................. 248/119 R 3,354,83811/1967 Mowatt-Larssen.......... 248/119 R X 2 Claims, 5 Drawing FiguresPATENTEI] JA N I SL974 SHEET 2 OF 2 SHOCK ABSORBING SECUREMENT DEVICEThe present invention concerns a tie-down or securement device which isadapted to be used for connecting a vehicle to a restraint system of thetype shown and described in copending patent application Ser. No.187,625, entitled Vehicle Positioning and Restraint Apparatus, filedOct. 8, I97 I in the name of Cwycyshyn et al, and assigned to theassignee of this invention. The arrangement disclosed in thelattermentioned application includes three parallel guide rails whichcooperate with and slidably receive three tie-down devices attached tothe underside of the vehicle. The outer guide rails incorporate latchingmechanisms which are manually operated and serve to trap the associatedtie-down devices to prevent it, and accordingly the vehicle, from movingin a fore-and-aft, vertical, or a longitudinal direction relative to thetransporter. The restraint system is incorporated in a portable shippingcontainer that can be loaded onto a carrier such as a railway car.

Automotive vehicles shipped in containers .of the abovedescribed type orin other forms of carriers are frequently subjected to relatively highinertial forces during movement of the carrier. This is particularlytrue in the case of railway car transporters which are started in motionby a jerking action on the part of the locomotive and at times travelalong irregular road beds as well as misaligned rails. Under suchconditions, the railway car experiences erratic sidewise and othermovement with resultant high load concentration on the securementdevices holding the vehicle in place.

Accordingly, there is a need to provide some form of shock absorbingcapability into the vehicle restraint arrangement so as to preventdamage from occurring to the vehicle during shipment. To this end, thepresent invention contemplates a securement device which serves toconnect the vehicle to the transporter and incorporates yieldable meansfor absorbing shock loads which might cause excessive stressconcentations on the vehicle frame. In the preferred form, this isaccomplished by having the securement device formed in two parts whichare bonded together through an elastomeric material such as rubber. Onepart of the securement device includes a head which is adapted to belocated in an aperture formed in the underbody of the vehicle. The otherpart of the securement device includes means which are slidably receivedby the guide rail mounted on the transporter. In this fashion, thevehicle is connected to the transporter and held thereon by thesecurement device. At the same time, the elastomeric material serves asa cushion to absorb any shock loads created by inertial forces acting onthe vehicle during the transit thereof.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a securement devicethat maintains a vehicle in position on a transporter and incorporatesresilient means for absorbing shock loads created by inertial movementof the vehicle; to provide a two-part securement device in which theparts are joined together by a yieldable material and prevented fromseparating by a mechanical connection which permits relative movement ofthe parts between fixed limits; to provide a tie-down device which holdsa vehicle on a transporter and has shock absorbing capabilities so as toprevent damage to the vehicle during transit thereof; to provide adetachable tie-down device for securing a vehicle to a guide rail andenabling the vehicle to move along three mutually perpendicular axesrelative to the guide rail between set limits while being cushionedduring such movement.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description when taken with the drawings inwhich:

FIG. I is a perspective view showing the positioning and restraintapparatus for a vehicle incorporating securement devices made accordingto the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the securement devicesemployed with the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2; I

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly FIG. 1 thereof, ashipping container 10 is shown comprising side walls 12 and 14, an endwall 16, and a floor portion 18. This shipping container is similar tothat illustrated in the aforementioned patent application and isintended to have multiple decks or floor portions, each of which isadapted to accommodate a vehicle, the frame 20 of which is shown inphantom lines. A positioning and restraint apparatus 22 is incorporatedwith each floor portion 18 of the shipping container 10 for holding thevehicle in place when the shipping container I0 is in transit on acarrier or transporter such as a railway car.

In this regard, it will be noted that the positioning and restraintapparatus 22 comprises three elongated guide rails 24, 26, and 28 whichare located along parallel axes with equal spacing between adjacentguide rails. Each guide rail is a channel member which in cross sectionis C-shaped and is fixedly secured to the floor portion 18 whichincludes raised parallel tracks 32 and 34 located outboard of the guiderails 24 and 28, respectively. As should be apparent, the tracks 32 and34 serve to accommodate the tires of the vehicle as the latter movesinto the shipping container 10.

Each of the guide rails 24, 26, and 28 is adapted to receive asecurement or tie-down device 36 made according to the invention andshown in FIG. 2. In this regard and as seen in FIG. 1, three identicaltie-down devices 36 are secured to the vehicle frame 20 so as thevehicle is rolled into the open end of the shipping container 10, thetires are accommodated by the tracks 32 and 34 and each of the tie-downdevices 36 slides within one of the guide rails and serves to positionthe vehicle so as to prevent lateral and vertical movement thereof. Apair of identical latch mechanisms 38 and 40 are operatively associatedwith the outer guide rails 24 and 28, respectively, and each mechanismincludes a pivoted lock lever 42 which, when moved toward the associatedguide rail, serves to trap a tie-down device 36 to prevent fore-and-aftmovement of the vehicle. Thus, the tiedown devices 36 cooperate with theguide rails 24, 26, and 28 to hold the vehicle from longitudinal,vertical and sidewise movement.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, each tie-down device 36 is formed in two partsconsisting of a top portion 44 and a bottom portion 46. The top portion44 comprises a head having an axially extending section 48 which isintegrally formed with a cross bar 50. The head is fixed with a neckportion 52 that is integral with a rectangular bearing plate 54 locatedin a horizontal plane. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, a generally cylindricalsection 56 extends downwardly from the bearing plate 54 and is partiallyclosed at the lower end by a bottom wall 58. A vertically orientatedL-shaped slot 60 is machined into the bottom wall 58 as well as thecylindrical section 56 and serves as a passage for receiving a T-shapedkey portion 62 which is integrally formed with the bottom portion 46 andlocated along an axis transverse to the axis of the slot 60. As seen inFIG. 5, the key portion 62 is fixed with a conical section 64 which inturn is secured and integrally formed with a base member 66. Anelongated connecting bar 68 depends from the base member 66 andterminates at the lower end thereof with a foot 70 which is adapted tobe received within the guide rail.

As mentioned above, the key portion 62 is housed within the cylindricalsection 56 of the top portion 44, and as should be apparent, serves as amechanical connection between the top and bottom portions of thesecurement device 36. As seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, it will be noted thatsufficient clearance is provided between the key portion 62 and theinner surfaces of the cylindrical section 56 and the bottom wall 58 soas to allow relative movement between the top and bottom portionswithout permitting separation thereof. It will also be noted that thetop portion 44 is bonded to the bottom portion 46 through a block 72 ofelastomeric material which fully encloses the cylindrical section 56 andextends laterally to a point in vertical alignment with the side edgesof the base member 66 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 5. In the preferred form,rubber can be used for providing the resilient bond between the topportion 44 and the bottom portion 46 of the securement device. However,it will be understood that other elastomeric materials such aspolyurethane can serve the same function. The elastomeric materialserves as a shock absorber in a manner to be described below.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the securement device 36 is shown attached tothe vehicle frame 20 which in this instance is shown to be a platesection having upper and lower contact surfaces 74 and 76, respectively.The head is located adjacent the upper contact surface 74, while themain body portion of the securement device 36 is located below andadjacent the lower contact surface 76. The plate section is providedwith an oblong aperture 78 which accommodates the neck portion 52 of thesecurement device 36. In mounting the securement device 36 to the frame20, the cross bar 50 is first inserted into the aperture 78 with thesecurement device 36 positioned so that the longitudinal axis of thesection 48 is orientated in a generally vertical position. After thecross bar enters the aperture 78, the body portion is rotated 90horizontally and then raised upwardly so as to cause the section 48 topass through the aperture in the frame 20. The securement device 36 isthen rotated 90 in an opposite direction in a horizontal plane so as tolock the securement device 36 to the frame 20. After all three of thesecurement devices 36 have been attached to the vehicle frame 20 in theabove-described manner, the vehicle is then loaded into the container ashereinbefore described. With the securement devices 36 positioned asshown in FIG.

1, the lock levers 42 of the latch mechanisms 38 and 40 are moved towardthe associated guide rail so as to capture the securement devices. Thevehicle is then secured to the shipping container 10 and the latter canbe loaded on a railway car or other form of transporter for shippingpurposes. As should be apparent, during shipping any inertial movementof the vehicle will be cushioned by the elastomeric material associatedwith each of the securement devices 36. Thus, the elastomeric materialacts as a shock absorbing medium which serves to reduce the loading onthe vehicle frame.

Various changes and modifications can be made in this constructionwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. Such changes andmodifications are contemplated by the inventors and they do not wish tobe limited except by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A securement device for maintaining a vehicle in a secured positionon a transporter and having a head adapted to be located in an apertureformed in the underbody of the vehicle for attaching the securementdevice to the vehicle, said securement device including a top portionformed with said head and a separate bottom portion adapted to moverelative to the top portion along three mutually perpendicular axes andcooperate with means rigidly mounted on the transporter for holding thevehicle on said transporter, said underbody including a plate sectionhaving a pair of contact surfaces formed on the opposite sides thereofso when the securement device is attached to said underbody the head islocated adjacent one contact surface and the top portion is locatedadjacent the other contact surface, elastomeric means bonding the topportion to the bottom portion and serving to absorb shock loads when thesecurement device maintains the vehicle in a secured position, and stopmeans enclosed by said elastomeric means and formed with said topportion and said bottom portion so as to positively limit relativemovement between said top and bottom portions.

2. A securement device for maintaining a vehicle in a secured positionon a transporter and having a head adapted to be located in an apertureformed in the underbody of the vehicle for attaching the securementdevice to the vehicle, a top portion formed with said head and having aslot formed therein, a separate bottom portion having a foot adapted tocooperate with a rail rigidly mounted on the transporter for holding thevehicle on said transporter, a T-shaped member formed with said bottomportion and adapted to cooperate with said slot for limiting relativemovement between said top portion and said bottom portion along threemutually perpendicular axes, said underbody including a plate sectionhaving a pair of contact surfaces formed on the opposite sides thereofso when the securement device is attached to said underbody the head islocated adjacent one contact surface and the top portion is locatedadjacent the other contact surface, and elastomeric means enclosing themechanical connection provided by the T-shaped member and the slot andbonding the top portion to the bottom portion so as to absorb shockloads while the securement device maintains the vehicle in a securedposition.

1. A securement device for maintaining a vehicle in a secured positionon a transporter and having a head adapted to be located in an apertureformed in the underbody of the vehicle for attaching the securementdevice to the vehicle, said securement device including a top portionformed with said head and a separate bottom portion adapted to moverelative to the top portion along three mutually perpendicular axes andcooperate with means rigidly mounted on the transporter for holding thevehicle on said transporter, said underbody including a plate sectionhaving a pair of contact surfaces formed on the opposite sides thereofso when the securement device is attached to said underbody the head islocated adjacent one contact surface and the top portion is locatedadjacent the other contact surface, elastomeric means bonding the topportion to the bottom portion and serving to absorb shock loads when thesecurement device maintains the vehicle in a secured position, and stopmeans enclosed by said elastomeric means and formed with said topportion and said bottom portion so as to positively limit relativemovement between said top and bottom portions.
 2. A securement devicefor maintaining a vehicle in a secured position on a transporter andhaving a head adapted to be located in an aperture formed in theunderbody of the vehicle for attaching the securement device to thevehicle, a top portion formed with said head and having a slot formedtherein, a separate bottom portion having a foot adapted to cooperatewith a rail rigidly mounted on the transporter for holding the vehicleon said transporter, a T-shaped member formed with said bottom portionand adapted to cooperate with said slot for limiting relative movementbetween said top portion and said bottom portion along three mutuallyperpendicular axes, said underbody including a plate section having apair of contact surfaces formed on the opposite sides thereof so whenthe securement device is attached to said underbody the head is locatedadjacent one contact surface and the top portion is located adjacent theother contact surface, and elastomeric means enclosing the mechanicalconnection provided by the T-shaped member and the slot and bonding thetop portion to the bottom portion so as to absorb shock loads while thesecurement device maintains the vehicle in a secured position.